Here it is bloggers — Newstalk! But we have deleted a few of the choicest entries, which can only be read in the print edition due out Wednesday.

Newstalk for December 21st 2005

On Friday, December 9th, we had our first ‚Äúsnow emergency‚Äù this season ‚Äì with winds blowing and thundering skies and we have to assume that Mayor Joe is smiling because approximately 2500 tickets were given out by Mayor Joe‚Äôs meter nazi‚Äôs (look, nothing personal, some of our best friends are Meter Readers) but you do the math – 2500 tickets at $100.00 each translates into a whopping  $250,000.00 in ONE DAY revenue.  A snow emergency and school wasn‚Äôt even closed for the day.  This probably means that every time it snows, an emergency parking ban will be called and this administration will send out the Meter Nazi‚Äôs again?  At that rate we could have the entire deficit cleared up and get rid our heavy reliance on State monies by springtime, with the city taking in millions of dollars in revenue just in snow emergencies.

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Oh, we almost forgot, you did hear about the money stolen from the Traffic & Parking department didn‚Äôt you?  You didn‚Äôt?  Well it was hush-hush – it seems that they‚Äôre embarrassed that they left the back door open and safe unlocked after hours.  Seems like everyone has been saying different amounts – anywhere from $6K to $10K – depending on whom you ask.

Questions for our readers/bloggers for this week:
How many Meter Readers has the city hired since upping the fines and placing meters back in the squares?
How often does the Parking & Traffic Department leave the rear door unlocked and the safe open after hours, and how much money was stolen?  (Okay that‚Äôs a silly one, but we can‚Äôt get a straight answer out of anyone)

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We heard a rumor that after the holidays the Mayor is going to request that the Board of Aldermen place the whole city under Permit Parking so that he can get more revenue and hire more Meter Readers.    
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Now we don‚Äôt know if this is true or not, but more than one source has been repeating this…  We all know that Mark Horan who resigned (or did he?) from his position in the Mayor‚Äôs Office, was recently showed how much he was going to be missed.  It appears that on his last day at work, he came back to the Mayor‚Äôs Office and everyone had already gone to lunch – without him.  So his last day on the job was uneventful and apparently nobody in the Mayor‚Äôs Office cared.  Like we said, we can‚Äôt believe it, but we did hear this from more than one source – maybe someone in the Mayor‚Äôs Office will straighten it out.
          
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This is one for the books – this past Saturday Night Johnny Ruiz was in a fight for the title again, but this time the fight was in Germany.  Well, as Johnny‚Äôs luck would have it, he lost again – to a Russian fighter.  Here‚Äôs the interesting part.  You remember Norman Stone, affectionately referred to as ‚ÄúStoney‚Äù?  Well, this beacon of self-restraint went nuts (that couldn‚Äôt be!) and jumped in the ring after the fight trying to stop the officials from presenting the belt to the Russian fighter.  He got so carried away in his rage (that‚Äôs never happened before), that he kept hitting everyone in the ring until he was physically restrained.  Imagine that ‚Äì we are SO shocked that he snapped like that.  NOT.  Maybe when this dynamic duo returns, Mayor Joe can once again help them find a permanent home – Stoney that is – and his wonderfully organized Somerville Boxing Club.
                                                      

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The debate between Denise Provost and Elizabeth Moroney was taped last Thursday afternoon and it will be replayed twice before the election – on Christmas Day at 6pm and January 1st at 6pm.  Don‚Äôt get mad at us, we didn‚Äôt pick the times SCAT would play it.

On behalf of the Owners/Publishers, the Editor and the Staff at The Somerville News, we wish everyone in the City of Somerville and beyond a very Merry Christmas.